I recently had one of our cars cough and stutter its way to the great auction yard in the sky.
That is never a fun experience, and it was even less so this time because it meant I had to go to one of my least favorite places – a car dealership. (Completely a First World problem, by the way.)
I’ve met a few car salesmen, and the best ones for me are always the low-key ones. I have a great distaste for the high-pressure sales pitch – it brings out the country boy contrarian in me that doesn’t like being told what to do by some smooth talker one bit.
As a freelance photographer/writer/designer trying to build my own business, I have to occasionally try to convince a potential client that I’m the right man for the job.
The irony does not go unnoticed here.
So I’ve been looking for some ways to market myself without being obnoxious. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
- The Multimedia Empire: It is under construction and getting closer every day to being unveiled, so that’s a start in the right direction. I built two new pages this weekend and I’m learning more (thanks to the good folks at Northwest Vista College's digital media program).
- Using the Web: The latest craze online seems to be Pinterest, which has some good potential for photographers, according to this article. Once the photo portion of the Empire (on a bad day, I call it the Death Star) is up and running, I’ll be on there.
- Being proactive: Friday night, neither the Amazing Superwife nor I could face the kitchen, so I went for pizza. Looking at the website of the local pizza place – well, let’s just say I’m glad their pepperoni is much better than their web design. So I’m considering building a prototype site and see if they are interested in it. It may be shot down, but as a fledgling web designer, it would at the very least be good practice. And if I can leave a few business cards there and they speak well of me, so much the better.
- Keep a good reputation: The jobs I’ve gotten to date, both full-time and freelance, have been because of a good reputation and a good work ethic. Word gets around, sometimes faster than you think.
What do you do to market yourself? And do you find you feel like you need a shower afterward?